


From the Fight We Rise

by WishingOnWhishaw



Series: Safe Haven [2]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arguing, Caretaking, Comfort, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Face Slapping, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Kayfabe Compliant, Kink Negotiation, M/M, Minor Violence, Multi, Other, Polyamory, Sexual Tension, Submission, Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 13:40:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16087247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingOnWhishaw/pseuds/WishingOnWhishaw
Summary: Post-HIAC 2018.The boys are all hurt again, and Renee finds herself having to pick up their pieces once more. Only tonight is different. They're not just hurt. They're angry, looking for revenge, or comfort, or a way to blow of steam. Luckily, Renee thinks she can manage all of that at once. Their hotel room holds promises, if they can get there without falling apart.Set in the same timeline as 'Lick Your Wounds' but can be read as a standalone.





	From the Fight We Rise

**Author's Note:**

> Oh and we're back so soon! I told you, I can't get enough of these four, so here we are with more Renee plus Shield action. It feels like HIAC was forever ago, but it was just a week, so hopefully this still feels relevant.  
> Title is from the song 'Alive' by Skipinnish, which is my new anthem for these four and this little series, given all the Shield beatings lately.
> 
> And that's about it! Hope you enjoy!

“It’s fucking bullshit!” Dean yells, pacing around the locker room with rage in his eyes. His whole body is wound up with tension, his shoulders tight, his fingers flexing. He has too much energy, too much anger, and he needs to get it out, can’t keep still while it’s thrumming through him like this.  
  
“You think I don’t know that?” Renee fires back. “You think I’m happy about any of this?”  
  
“Happy enough to stop me going after them,” Dean points out. Renee grits her teeth at the implication in his words. She levels him with a look that challenges even Dean’s, all dark fury and warning. It actually makes him stop for a moment.  
  
“Don’t you _dare_ make out that I’m okay with what happened out there.” Her voice is low, murderous. She reminds Dean of a predator, laying in wait, offering one last warning before she attacks. If he weren’t so angry, Dean would probably find it hot. But he is angry. He’s itching for a fight, and Renee’s offering a challenge. Dean Ambrose has never been one to back down, even if it would be in his best interest.  
  
“Then move out of my way,” he demands, lowering his own voice to match hers. He steps up into Renee’s face, hoping he can intimidate her. It’s a stupid move. Renee knows him better than anyone, has seen him at his worst, at his most frustrated, his most desperate. She won’t buckle that easy.  
  
The sound of the slap rings through the room, and Dean staggers back slightly in surprise, hand to his cheek. It stings, but he’s had far worse. The shock of it hurts more than the impact itself, the sudden pain paling in comparison to how affronted he feels. The need for retaliation is quickly swallowed, however, by the submissive part of his brain that recognises the slap for what it really was. Renee never hits him outside of a scene. It wasn’t intended to hurt him; it was to put Dean in his place. To end the fight, not start one.  
  
Renee’s staring at him, her jaw set and her hands clenched into fists by her sides. It was hardly rewarding. She knows it would feel better to put all her frustration into a punch, and she understands Dean’s need to get out of here and just _hurt_ someone. But she can’t let him.  
  
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she says, when Dean looks back up at her, still in shock. He’s still not sure whether he’s impressed or infuriated by the slap, his cheek still tingling. Perhaps it’s a strange mix of the two.  
  
“ _You’re_ telling _me_ what I can and can’t do!” Dean argues. “Standing there in front of the door like you’re the only one who gets to make decisions here. What’s wrong with you? You say you’re just as pissed off as the rest of us but you’re keeping me locked up here like you don’t want revenge for any of this.”  
  
“Of course I want revenge! You really think I’m gonna let this slide? That I don’t wanna make them pay for every stunt they’ve pulled the last few weeks?”  
  
“Then why won’t you let me go?”  
  
“Because I can’t watch you get hurt anymore!” Renee yells. The room falls silent again, from both her raised voice and the confession. She sighs heavily. “Not tonight,” she says, softer now. She shakes her head. “Please, Dean. I can’t.”  
  
Dean heaves a sigh of his own, deflating a little. The weight of the situation suddenly settles on him, as he realises how hard this must be on Renee. To try so hard to take care of them and then watch while someone else breaks them all over again. It’s easier for him, he knows. Easy for Dean to deal with it, because any time someone so much as looks at Seth or Roman the wrong way, he can be there. He can run out and do his best to protect them, put himself in harm’s way to spare the people he loves. That’s not an option for Renee. She’s only ever the one who has to pick up the pieces in the fallout.  
  
He moves in closer, his hands raised placatingly, showing her he’s not a threat this time as he enters her personal space.  
  
“Hey,” Dean murmurs, hands coming to rest on Renee’s shoulders. An attempt to reassure her. “I’m okay.”  
  
“ _You_ might be,” Renee sighs, turning and looking pointedly to her right. To Seth.  
  
Dean follows her gaze, really looking at Seth for the first time since they’d got back to the locker room. He’s curled into Roman’s side, head slumped onto the other man’s chest. Both men have their eyes closed and Seth’s face is still pinched, the rise and fall of his chest betraying his heavy breathing. He’s still in pain. Dean looks back to Renee.  
  
“Cell’s gone,” he tries to argue. “It’s just a regular fight. I can make them pay for this.”  
  
“That’s not the point,” Renee huffs with a shake of her head. “Dean, I…” She trails off, not sure if she should finish that sentence. She’s supposed to be their rock right now, the one person they can lean on. She’s not supposed to be weak like this. But maybe it’s the one thing that will get Dean to listen. “I had to stand there. He fell right in front of me, onto our desk, and I couldn’t even run to him. Do you have any idea how hard that is for me? To just stand back when he’s clearly hurt?”  
  
There are tears in her eyes as she recalls watching Seth fall from the cage, but the determination hasn’t faded. If Dean were a little less frustrated he may crack a smile as he’s reminded just how similar they are. Why they work so well together.  
  
“He’s here now.”  
  
“Exactly! You’re all here, and you’re safe, and for one more day I don’t have to worry about whether you’re in need of a hospital. You wanna fight them? Fine. I would _love_ to see you hurt all three of them. But save it for tomorrow.”  
  
“She’s right, uce,” Roman speaks up from beside them. They both look over again at the sound of his voice, startled to hear him. “We need you here more than we need payback right now.”  
  
“You’ve all got each other!” Dean shouts. His skin is still itching and his nerves are on fire and no amount of talking is helping him get rid of that desire to just _punch something_ until his knuckles are split and bleeding. “You ain’t gonna miss me.”  
  
“All we’ve done for the past nine months is miss you,” Roman says easily, in that calm, casual way that he does. Roman has this ability to make stupid statements like that, which shake Dean’s whole foundations, but in such a way that it sounds as trivial as talking about the weather. Like it’s not a huge deal to admit to someone how much you care, like it’s not a weakness for Roman to admit he needs them. It gets Dean to shut up, at least.  
  
“Come back to the hotel,” Renee says softly. It’s a request, not a command, which surprises Dean. After the slapping and the shouting, he expects her to be firm, to demand things of him. To force him to submit, but instead she’s asking him to comply. Somehow, it makes it easier to give in. He huffs.  
  
“Fine,” he grits out. He’s still not happy about any of this, but Roman’s giving him one of those _looks_ with his stupid puppy dog eyes, and deep down he knows it’s the right call. Despite his frustrations with her right now, he still loves Renee, and he can see she’s hurting. They’re all hurting in their own ways, and if they say they want him to stay, then that’s what he has to do to try and lessen their pain.  
  
“Thank you,” Renee murmurs, her posture immediately changing. She rolls her shoulders, shaking off the tension.  
  
“But I’m driving,” Dean says with finality. If he can’t punch someone, then he’s sure as hell not going to be able to sit still on the ride back to the hotel. Renee nods, gives him a small, knowing smile.  
  
“Sure,” she agrees. The sudden change from trying to boss him around makes Dean suspicious, and when he sees her smile and the look in Renee’s eyes, he knows she’s planning something. Dean narrows his eyes.  
  
“What?” he asks, defensive again. Renee steps closer, brings a hand up to hold his face. She’s touching his cheek, and Dean’s reminded of the slap from earlier, wonders if she’s going to hit him again.  
  
“You can drive us back to the hotel,” Renee confirms. “But that’s the last bit of control you’re going to have tonight.”  
  
Dean closes his eyes at the words, letting them wash through him. His eyes fall closed, and he lets out a shuddery breath through his open mouth. The thought alone eases him a little, and he rubs his cheek against Renee’s palm. Roman’s watching them both still, and he smiles at the motion, Dean reminding him of a cat being scratched behind the ears. It’s clear he needs this.  
  
Dean himself hadn’t even realised it, but now that Renee’s put the idea in his head, he knows he needs to be taken down. He should expect it, should be used to Renee reading him like a fucking book, but even now it surprises him. That’s why she’s so good at this. She can tell what Dean wants when Dean himself isn’t even conscious of it. She knows him inside out, is used to these moods he gets into and knows how to get him out of them. If he can’t hurt someone, he’ll have to settle for getting hurt.  
  
“Can I help?” Roman asks in a quiet voice. He may not be as wound up as Dean is, but he has frustrations of his own right now, and this sounds like an opportunity to scratch an itch for the both of them. Renee looks to Roman with a small smile, approving of the idea. But she turns back to Dean and gives him an expectant look. As much as she’d like Roman’s help, this isn’t about her, it’s about Dean. He has to be the one to answer that question.  
  
“Course you can big man,” Dean affirms after a few moments of silence, finally realising Renee was waiting for him to make the decision. If he needs this—and apparently, he does—then Roman will no doubt make it that little bit better, more intense. He loves Renee, and knows she’s good at handling everything, but she just doesn’t have the strength that Roman does. And he wants it to hurt, wants to give in and let them take all of this static out of his head and the electricity out of his limbs.  
  
Roman’s smiling now, wide despite how tired he is. Renee sighs as she realises they _all_ need this right now. Despite the hurt from tonight, they need just a little bit more. Seth blinks his eyes open slowly, looking between Dean and Renee with pursed lips. Thinking. Renee catches his gaze and they stare at one another for a few moments, filled with quiet tension.  
  
He still looks a little out of it, honestly. Had hardly recovered in the time it took Dean to carry him back to their locker room, and now that he’s been pressed against Roman, all the adrenaline has left him. His head hurts and his body hurts, and maybe he’d been drifting off, despite the shouting. He’s missed half of this conversation, not sure what he’s just walked in on, but the energy feels so different now.  
  
“What’s happening?” He asks eventually, sick of the silence. Renee gives him a small smile, soft and affectionate.  
  
“You sleep through our whole argument, baby?”  
  
“No. Yes. Maybe, that’s not—” Seth huffs in annoyance, doesn’t know why he feels so defensive suddenly. “Not what I asked. What’s going on?”  
  
“Dean’s acting up,” Roman rumbles from beside him. Seth’s head is still against his chest, and he can feel the vibrations when he speaks. It’s comforting, Roman’s deep voice and solid weight beneath him.  
  
“What else is new,” Seth mutters, closing his eyes again. Dean snarls, at the comment, a full-on growl as he shoots daggers that Seth doesn’t see.  
  
“Don’t make me hit you again,” Renee warns. Seth’s head shoots up at that, eyes wide now.  
  
“Again?” He repeats.  
  
“’Nay slapped him,” Roman explains, almost gleeful in the way he says it. It makes Dean grit his teeth, briefly considers hitting Roman to wipe that stupid smile off his face. Dean feels like they’re all mocking him.  
  
Seth gives a low whistle, but he seems almost impressed, eyes on Dean now.  
  
“What’d you do?”  
  
“Nothing! That’s the fucking problem.”  
  
“He got all up in our girl’s face,” Roman says. Sounds like a fucking kid who enjoys reporting back to the teacher when someone’s misbehaved. It’s only strengthens Dean’s desire to punch him. He never did like a tell-tale.  
  
“You gonna punish him?” Seth asks, directing the question to Renee this time. He thinks he understands this weird tension now. She shakes her head, sighs quietly.  
  
“It’s not a punishment. He’s been punished for that.”  
  
“So… What did Roman get permission for?”  
  
“Dean needs us to take care of him tonight,” Renee explains, coming up behind the man in question. She rests a hand on Dean’s hip, holding just a little too tight. A promise of what’s to come. Seth’s eyes flick down to her hand, the possessive grip Renee has, the way Dean leans back into her, anger seeping away just from her touch. Seth knows how that feels, to have Renee there to ground them, to make everything okay. He grins.  
  
“He’s gonna go down so good for you,” Seth breathes. Renee nods, kisses the back of Dean’s neck, and he shudders. Dean misses the warmth when Renee moves away, frowns and is about to complain. But he watches her go to Seth, kneeling in front of him. He’s not mad. He knows she’s worried about him.  
  
It shows in her eyes when they meet Seth’s own, is betrayed by the soft hand she strokes up his thigh. He’s still in his ring gear. Seth briefly misses wearing trunks in that moment, craving her skin against his.  
  
“How are you feeling baby?” She asks, all gentle concern. Seth thinks about his answer carefully. He knows better than to downplay anything to her, than to pretend he’s okay.  
  
“Hurting,” he admits in a small voice. “But… I want this. Want you, and Dean, and Roman. If you’re playing. I can take it.”  
  
“You know I wouldn’t leave you out,” Renee reassures him. “But I need to know where you’re at, what you can handle.”  
  
“Don’t want you to hit me,” Seth says without even thinking. That’s fair. Renee doesn’t know that she would’ve been able to anyway, not tonight.  
  
“Alright, that’s fine. No pain, we can do that,” she nods. “Do you need anything else from me?” Seth lowers his head, either in submission or embarrassment, Renee’s not sure. He’s broken her gaze, staring at his own lap now, and she can’t read his face. Seth watches Renee’s fingers press gently into his thigh, letting the seconds drag on. The words are there, caught in his throat but his tongue feels heavy and he hates this.  
  
“I, uh…” He trails off, shifting a little.  
  
“It’s okay, Seth. Tell me. I can’t help if you don’t talk to me, sweetheart.” Seth nods meekly.  
  
“It’s silly,” Seth tries to protest. Renee has to make an effort to refrain from rolling her eyes.  
  
“Nothing silly between us, come on Seth, you know that.”  
  
“Can you just, like… Take care of me, without touching me?” Renee’s at a loss, confused by Seth’s request. He clearly wants something, but she’s not sure how she can care for him if she’s not allowed to touch him.  
  
“I don’t know what you mean, baby,” she says, gentle. She doesn’t want him to feel bad for opening up, but she hasn’t got a lot to work with. Seth covers his face with his hands, groaning into his palms. He says something, but Renee can’t distinguish any of the words, muffled against Seth’s skin before they reach her. “I can’t hear you, Seth.”  
  
“I don’t want you to touch me _there,_ ” he says, the words hurried as they spill out of him. His cheeks are turning pink, and he doesn’t even know why. They’ve done a lot together, he’s done a lot with Renee. This is a tame request by their standards. But he hates asking. Dean gets this lecherous grin, slides up next to Renee.  
  
“He just wants to watch you and Ro at work,” Dean comments. If Seth weren’t blushing before, Dean’s low voice and hungry eyes are certainly doing it now. “Wants to sit back and get himself off as he watches the show. That it, baby? You gonna watch Renee get me off and then cry because all you’ll have is your hand?”  
  
Renee elbows Dean for that. From her position on the floor, it strikes him in the knee. It’s meant to be a warning, but Dean just chuckles. She groans internally, knowing he’s going to be a handful when they get back to the room. Seth’s staring at them, breathing through his parted lips.  
  
“Keep running your mouth, and you might not even get the luxury of your own hand,” Renee warns Dean. She turns back to Seth. “Is that what you want? You can say no if it’s too much.”  
  
“No,” Seth breathes out, shaky. “No, that’s it. It’s okay. I… I need you to push me a little. I want you in control, just, without the pain.”  
  
“Okay, I can do that,” Renee agrees, pats Seth on his knee and rises to her feet with a grin. She feels a little more at ease now that she has a plan. It’s hard work for her, sometimes, trying to keep them all happy. Nights like these aren’t common, where all three of them need her to take the reins, and it never really gets easier. She still worries about dividing her attention, worries that one of her boys will end up feeling left out. She’s just one person to the three of them, and it’s a lot of responsibility, when they’re vulnerable and they all need something different. They’ll figure it out though, always do.  
  


* * *

   
The ride back to the hotel feels much too familiar. They’re in a slightly different arrangement than they were last week—Dean behind the wheel and Roman riding shotgun, with Renee holding Seth in the back—but they all feel a sense of déjà vu. It’s like Monday night all over again, a quiet car ride after a beating and the promise of something more on the other side. Another night of hurting and anticipation, aches waiting to be soothed and pains kissed away. Renee hopes they don’t make a habit of this. As much as she loves her boys, loves taking care of them, she knows she’ll quickly grow weary of this.  
  
Roman and Dean talk quietly, something about needing to go down to Florida soon, and Renee listens without comment. They could certainly do with a break. Seth’s gone all quiet again, content to curl into Renee’s side while she runs her fingers through his hair. He’s not sleeping, she can tell from the uneven rhythm of his breaths against her.

“When did you become the self-destructive one?” she mutters, when there’s a lull in conversation, speaking to herself. Just thinking aloud. But Seth hears her, laughs softly into her chest.  
  
“Ain’t self-destruction, it’s self-defence,” he replies.  
  
“It’s overcompensating,” Dean says from the front, not even looking away from the road.  
  
“Not now, man,” Roman mutters, but Renee’s already frowning at the comment. She can feel Seth tense up against her, and her discomfort grows.  
  
“What does that mean?” She asks. Sounds much more defensive than she meant to.  
  
“Dean,” Roman pleads. “Not tonight.”  
  
“Renee’s right, though,” Dean persists. “He’s being reckless.”  
  
“He’s just trying to protect us.”  
  
“Ain’t nothing saying he can’t do both.”  
  
“Yeah, well you’d be the expert on that, wouldn’t you,” Roman says snidely. Seth’s clinging to Renee’s side tightly, and she’s getting more and more frustrated as the conversation goes on. It feels like it’s all spiralling too quickly, Roman and Dean bickering, Seth withdrawn and uncharacteristically silent, not defending himself. She’s not sure what’s happening. It’s as if she’s walked in mid-dispute, not aware of why any of them is attacking the other.  
  
“The fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Dean snaps.  
  
“Means you ain’t got no business telling Seth he’s too reckless when everyone knows you never think a damn thing through, especially not when it comes to us.”  
  
“But that’s me! I’ve _never_ given a shit if I’m gonna be in way over my head, I haven’t suddenly started risking everything to try and prove some fucking point.”  
  
“What point?” Renee demands, raising her voice. She swears she hears Seth whimper, and holds him tighter, nuzzles his hair in a brief apology for startling him.  
  
“That he’s changed,” Dean answers. “That he’s all in on _this_ again, as if we haven’t fucking known that for like a year already.”  
  
“He’s doing the exact same as you, uce,” Roman shakes his head. He at least sounds calmer. Not like Dean, who’s quickly working himself up again. “I don’t get what you’re so mad about.”  
  
“Seth’s not fucking me! I don’t want him to do what I do. He’s meant to be the fucking architect or whatever, the one with the strategy and the planning shit. He’s not the guy who rushes in without thinking first. That’s my thing. He’s—” Dean cuts himself off and lets out a frustrated growl. He doesn’t need to finish the sentence; everyone in the car hears where he was going, what Dean’s thinking. _He’s better than that._  
  
Renee’s head is spinning as she tries to add up everything Dean and Roman are saying. She has to agree, Seth’s had a rough couple of weeks. She’d chalked it up to all the pressure and frustration getting the better of him. But she thinks back, with Dean’s words now giving her a fresh look on things. Maybe he was just trying too hard to protect them.  
  
“Seth?” She says softly, her hand rubbing up and down his arm in a soothing motion. He’s been too quiet while everyone shouts about him, talking about him like he’s not even there.  
  
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Seth murmurs, but they all hear him in the quiet of the car. Dean sighs heavily, a guilt settling into him. Roman was right, now wasn’t a good time to bring all this up again, not when Seth’s already hurt, when he needs their comfort so badly. He’ll kick himself if he’s made Seth get all sad and apologetic for the rest of the night.  
  
“No, you didn’t, Seth,” Dean confirms. “I’m not mad at you. I’m just… We worry about you, y’know?”  
  
“Worry about you, too,” mumbles Seth.  
  
“Yeah, I know that. Roman knows that. We get it. You don’t gotta convince us constantly.”  
  
“We don’t want you getting injured,” Roman chimes in. “That’s all.”  
  
“I’m okay,” Seth insists. “Hurts now, but I’ll be okay.”  
  
“Yeah, this time,” Dean says. “Just… Don’t keep pushing yourself so much.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” whispers Seth. Renee smiles sadly, kisses Seth’s head. He sounds so sad, and she hopes he’s okay, that it isn’t going to be a nightmare to pull him back from this. Knows he was already in need of comfort, doesn’t want him to get in his own head and stress about everything Dean has said.  
  
“Alright, it’s okay. Nobody’s annoyed at you, baby,” she reassures him. “Let’s just forget about this, okay? We’ve all had a long night.”  
  
“And we’ve all been throwing ourselves at this lately,” Roman adds, with a pointed look at Dean. “So don’t go beating yourself about anything.”  
  
“Yeah, okay, ‘Nay’s right. Let’s drop it,” agrees Dean. “I wasn’t trying to like, kill our vibe.”  
  
“We’re still gonna play, right?” Seth asks, looking up at Renee, and then to Dean and Roman. All soft and hopeful.  
  
“Course we are,” Dean replies with a grin. “If there’s one thing I ain’t worried about, it’s whether or not you end up in tears when you’re begging for one of us to touch that pretty cock of yours.”  
  
Seth whines, high and needy at the image that puts in his head. He shifts in his seat and clinging a little tighter to Renee’s side. Seth spends the rest of the journey back to the hotel half hard, thoughts running through his head just like Renee’s fingers run through his hair. Somehow both calm and impatient, eager to get back, but comforted that they’ve got rid of the tension. Now the only thing he’s worried about is how far gone he’s going to be by the end of the night. It’s certainly not the worst worry to have.

**Author's Note:**

> Possible second chapter featuring the smut? If you guys wanna see that? Let me know!


End file.
